


Taboo: Side B

by Millixi77



Series: Yandere AU [5]
Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: M/M, My Attempts At Worldbuilding™, OFC - Freeform, Unwanted Obsession, Yandere, Yandere Momota Kaito, Yandere Saihara Shuichi, from the aforementioned fool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-07 00:59:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17950562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Millixi77/pseuds/Millixi77
Summary: If Shuuichi had known that a simple school project could bring something like this into his life, he'd have stayed home from school that day.Or, another unwanted stalker appears! Its tactics are... not so effective.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I actually listened to Grammarly's and eliminated most of the commas here... Does it make a difference?
> 
> I also attempted worldbuilding a bit here. I'm hoping it actually works, h.

Shuuichi wanted to die. Or scream until he lost his voice. Or gouge his eyes out. One of the three. He didn’t care by this point. He just wanted to release the frustration that was simmering inside him so fucking badly… 

 

He couldn't help but snuggle a little deeper into Kaito's embrace, the feeling of eyes watching him making him feel insecure. 

 

Those disgusting eyes that belonged to someone who clearly didn't know who the fuck they were looking at. 

 

Kaito held him closer, and Shuuichi knew that Kaito felt it as well. And that, just like him, Kaito was barely able to tolerate it. 

 

But they had to pretend to be the oblivious couple that couldn't tell when some idiot couldn't understand that they were in a relationship. 

 

To put it lightly, it was infuriating. 

 

It had all started a month ago when he'd been paired up with the guy for a project. At the time, Shuuichi didn't even have an opinion on him; as far as he was concerned, most of the people he attended school with were little more than background noise that didn’t need any acknowledgment. This particular person’s most distinguishing features were hair that was strikingly similar to the color of carrots, matching eyes, the timidity that made him seem a little standoffish and a pinkish red aura. 

 

As far as Shuuichi had been concerned back then, all he had needed to do was play the standard “good student” persona for the duration of the project and cut ties smoothly afterward. Nothing elaborate. Simply a sterile set of actions that couldn't be mistaken for anything else. 

 

However, life had apparently thought otherwise. 

 

Over the course of the two-week project, his project partner had undergone a “slight” change of personality. From timid to the point on seeming snobbish to most people, he became quietly adoring and a bit excitable. It had been with dismay that Shuuichi noted the complete shift in the person's aura, from pinkish-red to reddish-pink, with a trace of sickly burnt-orange during times when the person seemed to feel… particularly infatuated. 

 

Shuuichi himself had a red aura. A  _ pure  _ red aura, not tinted with any unneeded color. It blended in with Kaito's aura so well that is was obvious that they were meant for each other. They were meant to be together, their auras proved it. This new person was…

 

Imperfect. 

 

Their eyes danced with what could only be described as mad infatuation every time they sighted Shuuichi, and their actions got sloppier. Their head seemed to shoot straight up into the clouds as soon as Shuuichi came near them, and their crush was so painfully obvious that Shuuichi had actually needed to pull the person aside and tell them that not only was he in a relationship but that he had absolutely no interest in cheating on his boyfriend. 

 

And after that, he'd told the person to fuck off. In those words. No frills, no fuss, just clinical, slightly crass precision. 

 

Right after delivering that line, Shuuichi had left, savoring the look of sheer betrayal and heartbroken hopelessness in their eyes. It felt nice to crush someone's hopes and destroy their spirits like that. 

 

Worms like that needed to be put in their place, and he'd have been damned if that nonsense had escalated any further. He had plenty of things to do, and trying to keep someone as delusional as that under control wasn't something that he'd wanted to take up as his next pet project.

 

And for the next few days, there had been peace. 

 

The idiot had actually stayed home from school for a few days, their mind probably reeling from the revelation that their delusion was, in fact, a delusion. A figment of their imagination that had swelled up disproportionately and clouded their judgment to the point that they’d made one of the biggest mistakes which had happened in their short, pathetic life.

 

It served the dumbass right.

 

The rumors that had flowed around the school for those few days were rather nice to listen to. But the best part had been when he’d gotten to relay the entire story to Kaito in all of its gory detail, and laugh when the moron hadn’t shown up to school. They’d gone on some of the best dates they’d had during those days.

 

Nice days.

 

Calm days.

 

_ Peaceful _ days.

 

Days when all he had to focus on was Kaito.

 

Days when he could actually feel peace.

 

Days when he hadn’t felt an unwanted, uncomfortable gaze seemingly super-glued onto his back.

 

Days when those orange eyes weren’t even  _ there _ , thoughtless of being tinged with an inexplicable gleam that he had a visceral hatred for.

 

Days when he hadn’t found his dates getting crashed by an unwanted obsessor who didn’t seem to have one molecule of common sense or courtesy in their  _ useless _ body.

 

The only good thing that came from all of this was an excuse for him to sneak in his combat knife to school for self-defense. Delusional people like that could turn violent, and he wasn’t going to risk getting injured when and if the worst arrived and he had to make a direct confrontation with this person.

 

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go completely and utterly ballistic, or if he wanted to hide away. If Kaito hadn’t been here right now, he was sure that he’d be looking for him right at this second.

 

He sighed, looking up at Kaito. 

 

“How long do we have to deal with this?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. This might not have been the most appropriate place to discuss this, but since there were next to no people around this area, he figured it was safe enough.

 

“Until we find a way to get rid of him that  _ doesn’t  _ involve murder,” Kaito whispered back.

 

“Why can’t we just kill him?” A redundant question, seeing that not only had he pondered this a lot lately but that he’d outright asked Kaito this question multiple times by now.

 

“Because we’d be the prime suspects of this guy’s murder.” The answer. He was so lucky Kaito loved him… any other person would have told him to shut up by now, he was sure of it. But he was so, so lucky that Kaito loved him back.

 

Even so… “I didn’t bring my combat knife for nothing, dammit.” Rash habits die hard.

 

“And I didn’t come prepared to knock him out for nothing. But we need to use violence as a last resort.” He wasn’t the only one whose temper was slowly decreasing, either. But both of them knew that they couldn’t let themselves go completely loose.

 

They didn’t need trouble.

 

“I hate the constraints of the law...” Shuuichi was glad that they were mostly alone, else that statement would have raised suspicion. It wasn't like most of the population didn’t have that exact same thought regularly, it was that most people were cowards when it came to admitting it.

 

“Who doesn’t?” Kaito definitely wasn’t a coward, and Shuuichi couldn’t help the sudden surge of love that came in him at the thought. He really did have the best boyfriend in the world… 

 

“But now what do we do? He hasn’t followed me home yet, and I wouldn’t want him to figure out where you live.” Shuuichi couldn’t help but feel worried about that. “Are you sure that you’d be safe?”

 

“I’d be more than safe, don’t worry. I could eliminate the guy with ease. And you have to remember that I live with my grandparents. He can’t really try anything most of the time.”

 

“And if he’s the sort of guy who’d butcher a sweet old lady to get his prize?”

 

“He can fucking try it. I fucking dare his  _ scrawny _ ass to think of something like that, thoughtless of doing it.”

 

Shuuichi couldn’t help but laugh at that. That collection of useless-looking bones going up against  _ Kaito _ , of all people? 

 

The mere thought was hysterical.

 

Thinking about the results it would produce when, and if, applied to real life was a bit vindictive and, unsurprisingly, fulfilling.

 

A fight between the two of them would result in the definition of a curb-stomp battle. From what he’d managed to find about the guy both through the limited information about him and his own personal assessments, this particular fool was a typical child of today’s well-off: sedentary, with a penchant for art. Nothing special in the athletic department. 

 

An easy target. One that would be a breeze for someone as strong as Kaito. Heck, even though he wasn’t the most athletic person, Shuuichi was sure that he’d be able to overpower the guy with some measure of ease. The problem stemmed from the fact that he couldn’t do it without most people seeing it as unwarranted.

 

Idiot though the guy was, he was still able to keep some level of secrecy to his actions. Lashing out violently would paint Shuuichi as someone who was overreacting, even after the verbal beatdown he’d given the guy earlier.

 

He didn’t want or need any extra controversy right now, and the situation that could arise if he took direct action was something that would go completely and utterly against that. The school was still on edge after that girl had flung herself off the roof.

 

The body had disappeared remarkably quickly, and although it wasn’t a casual topic of conversation, people still seemed to be on edge about it. Especially after some people had started trying to draw parallels between that girl and people who had… mysteriously disappeared, transferred schools, or outright stopped coming to school.

 

Especially around the time when carrot-hair had disappeared. Amidst the more pleasant gossip of the fool having his hopes crushed, there had been a few whispers about “what if he’d gotten murdered” or “what’s going to happen this time.” This world wasn’t developing a proper conscience any time soon, but what it was developing was an efficient alarm bell system that told it when things might be getting out of hand.

 

There was only so much that the faculty could successfully explain away to the police, and there was only so much that the information channeling networks could divert attention from at a time. It would take another month or so for things to cool down, and it would be best to avoid stirring up any (more) unwanted attention.

 

It was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. A delicate balance that couldn’t be upset without dire consequences.

 

He couldn’t afford to fuck this up.

 

And, amazingly and In spite of himself, he  _ still _ wanted to kill the guy. 

 

Yet  _ another _ date with Kaito had been trashed, and like the last few times this had happened, they were going to have to play the game of “we’re going to take the most long-winded route possible and try and tire out this idiot so we can go to one of our homes in peace and actually spend good, quality time with each other.”

 

Luckily, between the both of them, they usually managed to leave the guy behind after around ten minutes. 

 

Shuuichi really, really wanted to find a way to get rid of the guy.

 

Murder, unfortunately, was ruled out by default.

 

Gossip was… surprisingly dim with this one. His unwanted stalker wasn’t a person who was suspected of shady activity. In fact, he was almost as plain as Tsumugi when it came to his background. People knew of the obsession, but not about the stalking, or any other possibly creepy actions which could be taken out of context and twisted enough to ruin the guy.

 

All Shuuichi knew was that the idiot was following him around like a stray animal most of the day for no reason and that he seemed to have no qualms with following him while Kaito was there.

 

The bastard.

 

This was the cost of maintaining a low profile; it made people thought you were spineless most of the time. It was terrible.

 

Kaito had already told him that messing with the guy’s emotions would be a risky idea because they seemed like an unstable mess that could explode if tampered with. And not in a good way.

 

To put it bluntly, their normal avenues of elimination were blocked off, and they needed to find a new way to solve this particular problem or, to heck with it, the fool’s blood would be spilled. In a lethal manner.

 

But he couldn’t be too hasty, no. For the sake of Kaito, at least. He had to be strong. Even though it might be painful now, if they could work together and figure something out, it would be fine.

 

Of all the times that the cryptic gremlin that called itself Kokichi seemed to be preoccupied with something else, it was while  _ this _ was happening. The problem was that he couldn’t hold him at fault for that since life seemed to make the worst possible decisions at the most inconvenient times. This entire situation was a prime example.

 

This particular situation just needed some sort of workaround. Preferably one that permanently evicted the problem from their general vicinity, but any sort of workaround would do. It would have to be a mix of his normal tactics, seeing how anything experimental could easily backfire, but the workaround would be made.

 

He was  _ not  _ letting this problem fester for longer than it had to, and he knew that Kaito would have the same mindset as he did.

 

That resolution was what kept him walking forward, and helped him ignore the unwanted presence behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

It had taken the next two weeks for him and Kaito to finally wrangle out a resolution for the problem. 

 

Two weeks.

 

Two. 

 

_ Entire _ . 

 

**_Weeks_ ** .

 

Two weeks of being limited to texting Kaito obsessively instead of talking to each other in person to avoid people overhearing them or getting ideas.

 

Two weeks of the gossip finally started to shift to more typical, mundane things like who was wearing what and who was planning to do what.

 

Two weeks of feeling unsatisfied about not having come up with a plan. 

 

Two weeks which suddenly had Rantaro acting even more oddly than usual, with Kokichi seeming to be none the wiser to his change of attitude.

 

Two weeks of the gremlin  _ still  _ focusing on whatever new pet project he’d picked up.

 

Two weeks of ignoring that ill-fated gaze that never seemed to leave him alone at school.

 

Two weeks of agonizing over a problem that had an almost painfully simple solution.

 

Two. 

 

Weeks. 

 

Of. 

 

Torture. 

 

Two weeks of torture. 

 

And it had all come to an end with a solution so simple that it was almost comical to think it had been completely overlooked. However, even though the solution was simple, it was far from palatable. 

 

Even after finding it, both he and Kaito had gone over every other method they could think of, and they had ended up with a dangerously detailed list of pros and cons of everything from gossip to torture. 

 

(It all had to be shredded, unfortunately. Shredded and disposed of immediately, before anyone could find it and come to conclusions. Luckily, there was a paper shredder in the house, and it didn't kill to take out the trash every once in a while.)

 

(It was  _ still _ a shame… Kaito had worked so hard on quite a few of those… and Shuuichi himself had managed to put in a little bit of his limited expertise.)

 

(But leaving something vital like that lying around could lead to carelessness. Carelessness would lead to leaving more incriminating evidence, and if the evidence kept piling up like that, the consequences… would be exceptionally dire. The police might currently be nothing to fear, but if an obvious trail was led, even the laziest dog would be able to rouse itself to follow.)

 

(And in this case, the dog’s treat would be someone else's downfall. He wasn't risking getting Kaito or himself getting caught in such a situation, either. Let someone else fuck up and take the blame, he wanted absolutely none of that.)

 

However, in the end, they both knew that what they considered “ideal” wouldn't be practical. And as soon as something became impractical, it was a risk that they couldn't take. Obviously, they had had to rule out a lot of those risks in order to get a small cluster of ideas that were, at the very least, feasible. And from there, they'd passed over a few unfeasible ideas before they had finally pared everything down to the one, uncomfortably safe, same and sensible option. 

 

Shuuichi sighed, fidgeting in his seat. It was less than a minute until lunchtime, and when the lunch period started, the plan had to be put into action. 

 

The bland, gray confines of the school seemed to be smaller than usual, closing in on him. He longingly looked at the windows. Oh, he wished that he was anywhere but here, preparing to do anything but  _ this _ . Alas, fate was a cruel mistress and he was sure that he wouldn't be getting out of it any time soon. 

 

He blinked and looked at the clock. 

 

Only a few seconds left until judgment came for him. 

 

The sound of a zipper on someone's backpack started a chain reaction, making himself and everyone else pack up their things. It was one of those things that just seemed to happen at school no matter what. 

 

He wondered if it was the same person who sparked the packing every time, or if it was different people. Probably different people; people who were the most eager to get out of class. 

 

The teacher, curse their weak heart, was still attempting to teach, even though it was clear that the students were thoroughly engrossed in other things and that most of them had probably forgotten what the lesson was about. 

 

The shrill, ear-bleeding cry of the bell soon put both the teacher and the students out of their misery. The teacher slumped down at their desk, probably wondering about all of their life choices and regretting most of them, and the students left the class. 

 

Some of them didn't hide their disdain for the class, running out like little children set wild onto a playground. Others who had more dignity walked out as fast as possible, not bothering to spare the classroom a receding glance. Only a few lingered behind as Shuuichi did. 

 

Shuuichi sighed, looking over the message log of the long discussion he and Kaito had had that morning. Not only had it been a long conversation fraught with discomfort, but it had also been tense, and because they couldn't help but be needlessly extra about the whole affair, time was crucial. This entire even had several timestamps to it, and to be even slightly off on even one of them would throw off the operation completely. 

 

They couldn't afford that. 

 

The ticking of the clock seemed to be far louder than it should have been as Shuuichi got his bag and left the classroom. 

 

Discomfort. In any other circumstance, it could be a guilty conscience that was deciding to screw him over. 

 

But, obviously, it wasn't. 

 

Simple nervousness was wracking his brain. Performance anxiety, you could call it. 

 

Who knew that striking a deal with someone would feel so much more nerve-wracking than actually getting information on said person? Or contacting them about the deal, for that matter. 

 

Emotions were some of the most precious, fickle things that human beings had been cursed with. 

 

Why they had decided to act up  _ now _ of all times was Shuuichi's question. He'd never get an answer, but it was still something he knew he was going to mull over. Even after he'd gone over the plan several times, enough that the timestamps and order of events seemed to be engraved into his mind, emotion still somehow managed to spill over the lines, still tried to blur boundaries and make him feel as if this wasn't the right choice. 

 

They were lying, obviously, if there had been any other choice, they could rest assured that he'd have pursued that path as quickly as possible. 

 

But just why did they act up, making him feel nervous even though logically, without a shadow of a doubt, he knew he was going to be fine? 

 

He'd never know. 

 

Emotions were just fickle that way, after all. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Compromise isn't always nice. Or pleasant.
> 
> At the very least, the other party left without being verbally scalded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, like the other one, I decided to try a new format for the last chapter. I hope that you guys like it!

**CHAPTER THREE**

**Lunch Start** : 1235  
**Lunch End** : 1335

 **Overall Objective** : "Bargaining"

 **Description** : Objective is split into five parts. All five parts must be completed before 1335.

 **Task One** : Review the plans.   
_Specifications_ : Finish before 1235.   
_Status_ : Complete.   
_Description_ : the task was performed repeatedly.

 **Task Two** : Exit the classroom.   
_Specifications_ : Finish by 1237.   
_Status_ : Complete.   
_Description_ : was done hesitantly.

 **Task Three** : Get to the destination.   
_Specifications_ : Finish by 1240.   
_Status_ : Ongoing. 

...---...

Walking through the hallways was a calming experience. He didn't have to pay attention to the people around him as long as he had a destination in mind.

 

And as he ignored them, they ignored him in kind, whether they were focused on reaching their destination, preoccupied with their phones or talking with their friends. It was a nice coexistence.

 

It made him feel calm that he was getting to the destination first instead of his… business companion. He still desperately wanted to keep calling the guy an idiot, but seeing the fact that the so-called moron had managed to corner he and Kaito like this with ease… it left him with a begrudging sense of respect for the guy. Which was buried under a heap of hatred, of course!

 

Either way, Shuuichi felt a little indicated as he opened the door to the empty classroom. It had taken a bit of planning to make sure that the classroom would be free today, and here it was. Quiet, ready and waiting.

 

He stepped in, shut the door behind him and sat on a desk before closing his eyes.

 ...---...

 **Task Three** : Get to the destination.  
_Specifications_ : Finish by 1240.   
_Status_ : Complete.   
_Description_ : was completed by 1239. Good timing.

 **Task Four** : Wait for the other person to arrive.  
_Specifications_ : Finish in the time range of 1245 to 1250.   
_Status_ : Ongoing.   
_Description_ : this task isn't dependant on Shuuichi. The onus is on the other party.

...---...

He had some time to kill, so why not spend it productively? Daydreaming about his next date with Kaito, which would be perfect and completely undisturbed by any unneeded stalker there.

 

It was going to be a really good daydream, he could feel it already. As soon as it involves Kaito, it had to be good, really. By this point, it was a well-known fact.

...---...

 _Further Description_ : If in the unlikely situation that the other party does not arrive within five minutes after 1250, consider the entire operation aborted. 

...---...

After a short period of time, Shuuichi opened his eyes. Imagining the date had done wonders to calm him down. The problem was that he needed to check the time to make sure that he wouldn’t be waiting there for no good reason.

 

He checked his phone. It was 1247. Just three minutes until he could start--

 

He heard rushed footsteps and panting come closer to the door, and pause in front of it for a few seconds. Then the door handle was pushed down with a bit more force than was needed, and the door was slowly creaked open.

...---...

 **Task Four** : Wait for the other person to arrive.  
_Specifications_ : Finish in the time range of 1245 to 1250.  
_Status_ : Complete.   
_Description_ : completed by 1247.

...---...

Shuuichi watched, unimpressed, as the terror of his life for the past three and a half weeks opened the door as if he couldn't believe what was happening to him. As soon as he got sight of Shuuichi, a wholly unwelcome smile crossed his face as he finally got his ass into the room and closed the door behind him.

...---...

 **Task Five** : Negotiations.   
_Specifications_ : Finish by 1315.   
_Status_ : Ongoing.   
_Description_ : hope that his stalker’s cooperative nature was still something that could be counted on.

...---...

Compromise.

 

It was a word Shuuichi was somewhat well-acquainted with. It was what had happened for years before Kaito had cornered him and both of them had finally started a relationship.

 

It was the resolution to stalk someone and record their regular schedule every day when you knew that you couldn't talk to them face to face.

 

It was the resolution to make sure you knew every single bit about that person in order to make sure you were truly devoted to them.

 

It was the resolution to hold the hope in your heart that one day, _one day_ you would be able to gain the courage to confess to them, even as you learned their locker combination from a distance so that you could steal some of their clothes every now and then.

 

It was accepting something small for now, in order to be able to receive the full package later on. It was keeping secrets while waiting desperately waiting for the time one would finally be able, to tell the truth, one day without consequences.

 

It was accepting confinement one day in order to receive freedom later on.

 

That was the definition of compromise he was used to. Something with a vaguely conceivable end in sight; some temporary discomfort to prepare for what would feel like an eternity of bliss. A means to an end.

 

However, this situation had brought him a new, far more uncomfortable definition of compromise. Instead of willing self-restraint that would eventually result in freedom, it was a restraint put on you by someone you neither loved nor respected in order to get what _they_ wanted. And what _they_ wanted would be something that you would hate. You had no choice in the matter because not only would _they_ not leave you alone, but _they_ would also be an active thorn in your side that couldn't be roved. And then the entire situation would somehow be skewed in _their_ favor, leaving you feeling as if circumstance had slapped you in the face.

 

To say that Shuuichi didn't like this would be an understatement.

 

He watched as the unwanted stalker finally caught his breath, before once again looking at Shuuichi as if he was the center of their world.

 

If Kaito had been looking at him that way, Shuuichi wouldn't be able to deny that he would feel as if he was on the top of the world. But with this… pitiful _excuse_ of a person looking at him like that, it felt like an insult.

 

Sickly orange-red aura, bright, almost luridly orange eyes and matching hair.

 

Disturbingly enough, thanks to the gray that obscured the rest of the idiot’s features, those three featured were the only discernible things on the person's body. He was even less distinct than classmates that he deliberately ignored most of the time.

 

This was the person who had suddenly taken an obsessive interest in him. To say that this was unsettling was… adequate, but seemed like it wasn't fully accurate somehow.

 

Not like it mattered, really.

 

What mattered was that, of all the ways the guy had more or less been summoned here, a traditional handwritten note had succeeded. The stereotypical “put a note in their locker to invite them to location x” invitation hadn't fully died out after all. Or maybe it just worked on gullible people.

 

Either way, Shuuichi watched, unimpressed, as the unwanted stalker began to babble nonsense.

 

“I-I was so excited when I found your letter in my locker this morning! I'm sorry for being late, but since the class I had before this is almost halfway across the school and I'm not really fast when it comes to things like this, it kind of took me a little while to get her, and I'm so so sorry for wasting your time, please forgive me!”

 

“It's… fine,” Shuuichi said, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. “I'm not angry, on the contrary, your lateness was… expected.”

 

“Oh thank goodness, I thought you'd have gotten mad at me for being late! You don't really like it when people are late; I've noticed, so I tried not to be too late when it came to this…”

 

“I said, don't worry about it.”

 

Shuuichi's tone seemed to finally ring a bell with the idiot, and they stayed quiet, hugging themselves and fidgeting, as of they were barely able to contain their excitement.

 

“I'm guessing that you're wondering why I invited you here since I neglected to put that in the letter.”

 

Vigorous nodding, but mercifully, they remained silent.

 

It was either a sign of a complete disregard for their well-being, blind excitement, or an overly trusting nature. Whichever one it was, Shuuichi didn't care. If it happened to work to his advantage, it was good enough.

 

“The reason I invited you here is to ask you a question. A serious question.”

 

Orange eyes grew wide and yet another small burst of nodding came in response to the question.

 

“You'll be able to speak to answer it, alright?”

 

This time, a smile that would have been considered cute in any other situation. At least, he assumed so.

 

“Why are you still pursuing me?” The question came out a little more forceful than Shuuichi intended it to be, but it wasn't like he felt sorry about it. That question had been haunting him, and neither of them was getting out of the door without it being answered.

 

To his surprise, shuffling and an overall shy disposition seemed to come over the stalker in response to the question. We're they truly ashamed, or did they simply feel bashful about what they were about to say? He'd find out soon, but such a reaction was something he hadn't anticipated.

 

“Well… it's because you're beautiful.”

 

Shuuichi felt taken aback. “What?”

 

“You're beautiful,” the stalker repeated, either not knowing or caring about the implications of what they were saying. “I… I know that you're dating Kaito and that you're both very happy together, don't get me wrong, but even with that knowledge, I can't keep myself away from you. Maybe it's because humans tend to cover what they can't have, but… if I can't be with you, I want to watch you. E-Even if I have no chance of being able to have any real, meaningful contact. Just observing you from a distance is fine… I. I, I just want to make sure you're okay… t-that's all.

 

“I didn't mean to disturb your plans or anything, I just couldn't keep myself away as long as I knew you were nearby! I… haven't followed you home or anything like that; it'd be too risky, but… I've followed you almost anywhere else that you go. It just feels so good to be able to see you… just seeing you makes me feel happy. S-Sorry if I've been bothering you, but… I don't think I'll be able to keep myself away.”

 

To say that Shuuichi was dumbstruck would be like saying the sky was blue, or that fire was dangerous.

 

He wanted to respond, but his tongue seemed to have been petrified, lying at the bottom of his mouth like a cold, useless slab of meat. His heart seemed to have stopped, and his brain was racing to comprehend what in the _hell_ he had just heard.

 

He was wondering if he had truly heard that with his own two ears, or if he had been dreaming.

 

As much as he'd want to dismiss what he'd heard as complete and utter nonsense, he… needed to ask for some further explanation.

 

“You… don't want to get between Kaito and me?” he asked.

 

“No, not at all! I wouldn't want to waste my time trying to do the impossible… besides, you seem rather happy with him already. And you… kind of told me beforehand that you didn't want anything to do with me when it comes to romance,” the stalker said.

 

Shuuichi wasn't sure what was more disturbing: what the person was saying, or the fact that as they talked, the gray haze on their features seemed to lift a little.

 

“That's bullshit,” Shuuichi said, almost without processing it. “You're trying to tell me that even after I outright rejected you, you're stalking me in order to ‘make sure I'm safe’? With no ulterior motive at all?

 

“No urges to corner me? No urges to, say, take photos or catch some of it on tape? No longing to try and sabotage a date beyond following us like a lost animal?

 

“Just pure goodwill and earnest care for me is motivating you? Pardon my language, but I'm calling a lot of bullshit here. Tell me the truth. Now.”

 

The stalker's saccharine exterior seemed to be moved. Eyes shifted from gleaming with giddy happiness to adoration and the embarrassed look of someone who had gotten caught in a lie.

 

“M-Maybe I have ulterior motives, but none of them will hurt you. I promise. I just… even if I can't be with you, I want to stay around you. I want to keep you as safe as I can!”

 

“By following me around and crashing my dates?”

 

“I just can't get enough of you. As I said, I can't help it! If you… told me to stay away, I… well, I could try, but it would be so, so hard…”

 

Shuuichi sighed. “Do you know how inconvenient it _is_ , though? Life is hard enough without you following me around like you're some sort of lost animal. I especially prefer my dates to be _private_.

 

“And you better not have been lying about following me home.”

 

“I haven't, I promise. It's kind of… my way of spending time with you, you know? You don't seem to want to stay around me when we're actually in the same place, but following you around is kind of nice.”

 

Shuuichi couldn't believe this.

 

“What sort of definition of ‘spending time with each other’ did your parents teach you? Because I can assure you, it's very much one-sided.”

 

The stalker laughed.

 

Shuuichi felt his eyes widen and his brain kicked into overdrive. Just _what_ part of what he had just said could be considered humorous?

 

Not only that, but the stalker's motivations were probably a blatant lie. If they'd given up all hope of having a romantic relationship, why would they continue to stalk he and Kaito when they went on dates? Unless that was some sick way of making sure Shuuichi was safe, this guy was obviously trying to make sure that whenever he made another move, he wouldn't be going in completely blind and trying to guess what Shuuichi liked.

 

And that was, most probably, not the case. If this dumbass had actually had enough physical prowess to be a risk, something told Shuuichi that Kaito might have decided to deal with this nut job personally. 

 

The mere thought of that made Shuuichi's stomach turn. In any other situation, he would have slapped the guy and walked out, but he couldn't. He had to reach an agreement with this character, after all.

 

So he waited for his companion to finish composing himself.

 

“I'm sorry for laughing,” the stalker said, “but I couldn't help myself. It… kind of explains a bit.” He didn't seem to want to elaborate any further.

 

Shuuichi didn't press.

 

Doing so would result in either him wanting to kill the fool even more or getting a load of backstory he wasn't interested in unlocking. And he couldn't have either of those happening.

 

Not when he was so blissfully close to ending this needless conflict once and for all.

 

“So, basically, the reason you're stalking me is that you want to spend more time with me?” he asked.

 

“More or less,” the stalker said simply.

 

“Well, your way of spending time with me and making sure I'm safe isn't all too practical for me, you know.”

 

“I… I know.”

 

“And I'm pretty sure that it isn't all too practical to fit time for it into your schedule,” Shuuichi continued.

 

 _Especially since you're not only a beginner but someone who's either getting along by luck or is barely scraping by getting out on some sort of watch list,_ was what he didn't say.

 

The stalker nodded.

 

“So, how about we make an agreement?”

 

“An agreement?”

 

“Or an arrangement, if you prefer. Something that we can fit into both our schedules without causing discomfort for either of us and making sure people won't go and start assuming anything they're not supposed to.”

 

The stalker's eyes widened. “I'd... like that. A lot.”

 

Shuuichi smiled. “Well, in that case, shouldn't we try and set something up? It'll be better for both of us. ”

 

“Sure!”

Shuuichi had no idea what to think of that enthusiasm, so he decided to ignore it instead. Part of him felt as if he would intensely regret this decision, but the other part knew that he wouldn't be getting out by this point.

…---...

 **Task Five:** Negotiations.   
_Specifications_ : Finish by 1315.   
_Status_ : Complete.   
_Description_ : it was far less difficult than anticipated. It was also completed five minutes earlier than expected. The enthusiastic rambling, thankfully, didn't take up that much time.

...---...

Never before had Shuuichi known that a stalker could be so mellow and cooperative. It probably wasn’t that much of an accomplishment, seeing that he was essentially giving the stalker what they wanted, but it was something.

 

In one long, mildly painful conversation, he’d managed to not only get the stalker to mostly stop their unwanted endeavors, but had managed to save his next dates from having an unwanted visitor. The good news… just barely managed to outweigh the bad news.

 

The _bad_ news was that in order to accomplish this, Shuuichi had to… hand over a little of his personal time to the stalker each day. Nothing much, just generally being around the person, maybe striking a conversation if the mood struck or anything…

 

You could call it a contracted friendship.

 

In exchange for around… ten minutes to an hour of his time each day, the stalker would, at the very least, tone down their actions immensely. Not enough to completely leave him alone, of course, but enough to make sure that his dates would be uninterrupted and that he wouldn’t have to look over his shoulder every time he decided to go into town.

 

Most of the time, anyway.

 

Shuuichi couldn’t help but feel just a little bit unsatisfied, even as he took out his phone to text Kaito about how everything had gone. Everything had gone according to plan, and the entire little fiasco had actually gone a little smoother than they had initially planned.

 

The problem was that every minute he had to spend with his mostly ex-stalker was a minute he couldn’t spend with Kaito. Unless they eventually modified the arrangement so that he could do something like text Kaito throughout the time period or something,

 

Whatever.

 

It might have been needlessly spiteful, or even childish, but Shuuichi made a mental note to ignore the thought of the stalker as much as he possibly could when he didn’t have to spend time with them. It might have been ridiculous and a little extra, but he honestly couldn't help himself when it came to that.

 

Besides, it was the next best thing he could do, since murdering the guy would essentially be suicide at this point.

 

All’s well that ends well, was something he’d heard sometime before. He wasn’t sure he agreed with it.

 

Compromise on ordinary issues could already be inconvenient and unwanted, thoughtless of compromising over something as delicate as this. He would be the first to admit that he wasn’t completely used to not getting the ideal outcome to a situation when he wanted it, so this in and of itself was… less than ideal.

 

He was just thankful that it had gone well.

 

Even though it had ended with him getting the human equivalent of a ball and chain, it was better than the entire school going haywire because someone had been murdered and it was painfully obvious to find out who their killer was.

 

Who knew; he might be able to develop some less-antagonistic feelings towards the guy after a while. The person _was_ quite benign, after all. The problem was that Shuuichi had no idea of what could potentially bring the foo to their breaking point if they had one.

 

The most unassuming people could be the most threatening when provoked, after all.

 

Shuuichi sighed, feeling relieved as he started typing out the entire encounter, getting ready to send it to Kaito. Even though he might have had to spend some time with someone he could care less about, he could spend most of his time with the person he loved.

 

Compromise didn’t mean complete deprivation, after all.

 

Besides, he'd get to spend time with Kaito _without_ having to look over his shoulder all the time. And with that thought in mind, he proceeded to send his boyfriend a long string of text messages.

 

Kaito had to know every single little detail of the encounter. And all of those details definitely wouldn't fit in one useless, tiny text message, after all.

 

Not at _all_.

 

Shuuichi couldn't help the broad smile that came over his face as he saw the little indicator that meant that Kaito had come online. This was going to be an interesting conversation, and he couldn't wait for it to start!

 

Love really was a wonderful thing.


End file.
